Moroccan Fekkas

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. 2

   Mix the wet ingredients

   In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar by hand for 2 minutes at room temperature, until pale and slightly thickened. Whisk in the oil and orange blossom water for 30 seconds.

3. 3

   Make the dough

   Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold them into the egg mixture with the aniseed, sesame seeds and almonds until a firm, slightly sticky dough forms, about 2 minutes.

4. 4

   Shape the logs

   With lightly oiled hands, divide the dough into two logs, each about 25 cm long and 5 cm wide, and place them on the tray.

5. 5

   Bake the logs

   Bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm and lightly golden on top.

6. 6

   Cool the logs

   Remove the tray from the oven and leave the logs to cool for 20 minutes at room temperature.

7. 7

   Slice the fekkas

   Use a serrated knife to cut each log into slices about 1 cm thick. Slice gently with a sawing motion rather than pressing down.

8. 8

   Bake until crisp

   Arrange the slices flat on the tray and bake at 150°C (130°C fan) for 12 minutes. Turn each slice over and bake for a further 10 to 12 minutes, until dry, lightly golden and crisp at the edges.

9. 9

   Cool and serve

   Cool the fekkas on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, until crisp throughout, then serve.

Tips

• Keep the dough slightly sticky; add extra flour only if it is too sticky to handle, as a dry dough makes hard fekkas.
• The logs should feel set but not deeply browned, since they will bake again.
• Let the logs cool fully for the stated 20 minutes so the crumb firms and the slices are less likely to crumble.
• Fekkas become crisper as they cool.

Swaps

• Use another neutral-flavoured oil in place of neutral oil.
• Use ground anise in place of aniseed, adding it gradually to taste.

Storing

Once completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature.